Saturday, March 18, 2006

If you didn't, read "NYT: Can't own up to mistakes, be it the paper or Michael Gordon" to find out what you missed. In fact, read it even if you saw it so you can get what a disgusting creep Gordon is. One of the professional liars who helped the Bully Boy lie us into war can't own the blame he has coming his way. Or as C.I. wrote in what may be my favorite part of this epic entry:

Now? Now the little boy who cried wolf (more than once) wants to pin it all on big sis Judy. He wants to act as though it wasn't him, it was that older sister Judith Miller. Why, he played with Jimmy Risen and lots of other boys! He wasn't just spending all day inside playing WMD dress up with Judy. He was a tough boy.Whatever he is, whatever he was, it wasn't a reporter.And that needs to be remembered as he peddles excuses. It's no surprise that his book is nothing but war pornography as he attempts to sell American on more occupation, on better planned occupation. It's nothing but an excuse for an illegal war. And an endorsement for the continuation of it. (Excuse me, for the continuation of a "policy decision.") Not surprising. He's still making excuses for his own part in selling the "policy decision."Little boy Gordon might want to consider borrowing a bit from an old Steve Martin routine and parroting "Excuse me." It wouldn't be convincing, but it would, at least, be a step in the right direction.

In fact, that's probably the one thing I'd add to C.I.'s entry. I'd point out that when confronted, Gordon not only can't accept the blame, he lashes out to feel like the big man. He starts hurling insults at Amy Goodman like that's going to change the fact that he LIED and that his LIES helped lead America into war.

Amy Goodman was so cool. She didn't let him phase her. He was trying to be so insulting, waving his finger and talking down to her, telling her she wasn't informed and lecturing her about journalism. Amy Goodman didn't let it phase her.

I listen to Democracy Now! on the radio (KPFA) and usually hear it twice if I'm working on a project because I'm usually finishing my cereal when it comes on and if I'm in the dark room or the living room, I've usually got the radio on. But I caught this one three times because Maggie and Sumner went over to a friend's and we were telling her about it. Sumner's flipping channels and then says, "Look it here it is."

So I got to see Gordon wave his finger at Amy Goodman. I got to his greasy, bloated face. He looked like a wall-eyed salmon. I couldn't believe how repugnant he was physically. But some people look exactly like they behave and Michael Gordon is a greasy, shifty-eyed liar.

Footnote: It looks as if the fire escape chosen by Bush to save him from those low thirties numbers is the old neocon refrain of the Iranian menace. This clashes with the official line of the pundit legions, which is that the neocons have been sent out to pasture and replaced in the corridors of power by "pragmatists". We even heard Michael Gordon of the New York Times and his co-author Bernard Trainor, while flacking their new history of the Iraq war on Amy Goodman, claim that the neocons were "on the outside" during the planning and execution of the Iraq war. That was before Goodman spoiled Gordon's day by bringing up all those WMD fantasy pieces he wrote with Judy Miller. Anyone who needs reminding on just how the neocons did it last time, the better to prepare for the next war, would do worse than keep by their hand the IHS Press compilation Neo-Conned Again, which kicks off with a contribution from your two CounterPunch editors.